Blind Tastes

Monday, December 24, 2012

We've arrived at the 10th and final day of the 10 Days of Bourbon Christmas! I hope you all have enjoyed my recommendations for your bourbon drinking friends and family members. This last post is going to be short and sweet, with a peppery blast of rye spice and subtle hints of fruit. Yes, this is one you can drink up and enjoy.

Four Roses Single Barrel - a fantastic bourbon

Just this year, for the 3rd straight year and 4th time out of the last six years, Four Roses was named Distillery of the Year by Whisky Magazine's judging panel. That should tell you enough right there! The story of Four Roses rise, fall, and rebirth is one of my favorite stories in bourbon history. Master Distiller, Jim Rutledge, is a man who has my utmost respect. This bourbon, Four Roses Single Barrel, is one of my favorite pours.

Four Roses uses 2 mashbill recipes along with 5 proprietary yeast strains to produce 10 different whiskeys. Four Roses Single Barrel uses just one of those recipes, OBSV, which is aged and then bottled from a single barrel (go figure). What does OBSV mean to you? Well, "O" designates that this bourbon was produced at Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. "B" tells us that this bourbon uses a mashbill consisting of 60% corn, 5% malted barley, and 35% rye. "S" means that it's straight bourbon that's been aged for a minimum of 2 years. "V" means that the "V" strain of yeast was used, a strain that imparts a creamy flavor with hints of fruit and a blast of spice. The bottle typically sells for $39.99 but I once found a ridiculous sale for $29.99 at a local shop and bought nearly all of their stock. It's just that good and I loves me a great deal on bourbon!

Getting this one in just under the wire! Had a crazy day today, my first day wearing prescription glasses. I'm seeing in HD, baby! I can't believe I waited this long to correct my distance vision. Played golf this morning and could actually see my ball past 150 yards! I also shot +2 on the front 9 and +6 on the back 9, good for an 80 which made me really love my new glasses even more. Ok, enough chit chat, let's get down to business with my recommendation for a gift for your bourbon buddy on Day 9 of Bourbon Christmas.

The Cooper Double Old Fashioned Glass from CB2.com

Today we're revisiting glassware again. Why? Because you can't just have an elegant glass to sip bourbon out of, you also need an everyday utility glass good for sipping neat, rocky, or cocktails. That's where the Cooper Double Old Fashioned Glass comes into play. This glass is awesome. First off, it's a little wider than your average old fashioned glass and it begins to taper towards the top. The walls of the glass are a nice thickness too so they don't feel like they'll break easy but they are thin enough that the glass feels comfortable as you sip. My favorite feature on this glass is the base. This glass has a great hand to it and that comes 100% from the base of the glass. It's thick glass that has a heavier weight to it. This is a man's glass, dammit. It's perfect for a spirit like bourbon whiskey.

The official glass of The BTS

I know I've featured the picture above before but I wanted to show how perfect this glass is for a cocktail like a BTS Old Fashioned. Look at the way the glass allows for the large format ice ball while leaving a little bit of room for easy drinking. I currently stock 20 of these glasses at The BTS and have 12 more on order. Last night I held a bourbon tasting that I donated as an auction prize for the Hurricane Sandy Relief Dinner that Cobaya helped put together and the guests loved them. At $3.50 each, you'd be a fool not to at least pick up four for yourself. Only downfall is you'll have to wait until they get back into stock mid-January.

So, there you have it. Another affordable gift for your favorite bourbon buddy during the Bourbon Christmas season. Enjoy!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Well, it took 8 days but it finally happened... I missed a day of updating this here site with my recommendation for Bourbon Christmas. Took the day off yesterday and once I left the house at noon I never made it back. Prepping The BTS for a bourbon tasting today. Well, good thing we've got plenty of time to shop for last minute gifts for our bourbon buddies.

The Bourbon Review is a great source of knowledge for all things bourbon

If you want to learn more about this American spirit, it's best to go right to the source - Kentucky. That's where the good folks at The Bourbon Review come into play. The Bourbon Review is published quarterly and covers all things bourbon including new releases, cocktail recipes, bourbon-laced food recipes, and distillery info. It's a great source of information. I'm always happy when I open up the mailbox and find an issue inside.

Another great reason to subscribe to The Bourbon Review - these guys put together some great events. This fall I flew out with Dad and a couple of buddies for Bourbon Under the Stars. We met the guys from the Bourbon Review for a cocktail hour the night before then hit the event on a Saturday night on the grounds of the Fasig-Tipton Thoroughbred Auction Company. It was an honor having the chance to meet a man I highly respect as a professional and Master Distiller and that man was Jim Rutledge of Four Roses. What a great guy. Both he and Bill Samuels Jr. of Maker's Mark can talk bourbon all day and never get tired of it. It was awesome chatting up both of them while sipping cocktails, tasting bourbons, and chomping on some great grub from local restaurants. This year the guys at The Bourbon Review are putting together the 1st ever Bourbon Classic right in Louisville. Remember the Bourbon Christmas recommendation on Day 6 to plan a trip to Bourbon Country? Well, this would be the time to do it. This is gonna be an awesome event!

So, this Bourbon Christmas season, give the gift that keeps on giving quarterly and sign your bourbon buddy up for The Bourbon Review. Heck, it's an easy $20 for 2 years so get yourself a subscription while you're at it! I promise you won't regret it.

Yes, we're going back to spherical ice today, this time in a much more affordable and accessible fashion than Day 4's recommendation. Judging by the feedback I received after posting about the Cirrus Ice Ball Press (as my buddy Chadzilla pointed out, that's an awful name), you guys are interested in ice spheres. And why shouldn't you be? They're pretty frickin sweet! So, on Day 7 of Bourbon Christmas I give to you...the Spherical Ice Mold from Tovolo.

In the freezer I keep at The BTS, I've currently got 9 varieties of ice ready to go - 4 types of cubes, 4 types of spheres, and some of the regular chipped ice you get at the market in a big 10-pound bag. I've already discussed the benefits of the ice sphere so no need to rehash. What I can tell you is this - the Tovolo Ice Sphere Mold is the biggest and best ice sphere mold on the market. I like that they are individual molds. Others that I have in my
freezer are trays, and while they work just fine, they tend to leave a
"saturn ring" around the middle of the ball because of the way the tray
is constructed. With the Tovolo mold, you don't get that ring. These
are also the largest ice sphere molds I've found. They fill a double
old fashioned glass perfectly. I haven't timed how fast they melt but
I'd say it's easily an hour. It's real easy to make ice balls using
these molds.

Care for an ice ball with your bourbon, Sir?

So if you don't want to shell out boku bucks for the Cirrus press, this ice sphere mold is the way to go. You can find them at a decent price here. I've bought a ton to give as gifts to my bourbon drinking buddies. I strongly recommend you do the same!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Comin' right back atcha with Day 6 of the 10 Days of Bourbon Christmas! Rather than take the time to recap all of the great bourbon suggestions I've made on days 1-5, I'm just gonna launch into this one.

Bourbon Country!

Sometimes the best gift is not a physical entity. A great gift can be as simple as an idea or a plan. Day 6's recommendation is just that - a great idea. Plan a trip for you and your bourbon buddy to visit Bourbon Country in Kentucky!! There's a ton to do in the Louisville and Lexington areas. You can check out the regions many distilleries, nearly all of which offer guided tours rich with the history of bourbon whiskey. I recommend checking out Buffalo Trace and Four Roses though I've enjoyed every tour I've been on in Bourbon Country. Maybe you try to complete the Kentucky Bourbon Trail? There's also the Urban Bourbon Trail which consists of many bars with fantastic bourbon selections. You could plan to be in Louisville for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival or maybe for the Kentucky Derby! There's even a guide to Bourbon Country to help you plan. The options are endless.

I've been to Kentucky about a dozen times for work and pleasure and I've always had a good time, especially when touring distilleries. It's pretty hard not to have a good time when you're sipping bourbon whiskey all day! Look into it as a vacation right here in the good ol' US of A. Maybe your gift for Bourbon Christmas is picking up the flights or the hotel rooms? Regardless of how you put it together, you're guaranteed a great time. Ya heard me!?!?

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Ok, we're back with Day 5 of the 10 Days of Bourbon Christmas and today we're goin' back to the juice. That's right, another bourbon whiskey for you to enjoy. This one is gonna be a hard find though...

John J. Bowman Single Barrel Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey

One question people often ask me is if all bourbon is made in Kentucky. Today's recommendation is clear evidence that, no, bourbon is not only made in Kentucky. The A. Smith Bowman Distillery is located in Fredericksburg, VA. I had the pleasure of popping into the distillery on a business trip through Virginia. I had sampled a few of the Bowman products prior to my visit and the John J. Bowman bourbon had quickly become a favorite. Trouble was in finding it. They don't distribute in South Florida so I had to enlist a friend to get me a bottle. Driving through Virginia with spare time meant I had to check out the distillery and pick up a bottle or two.

I really enjoyed meeting with Master Distiller, Truman Cox, on my visit along with a few other employees at the friendly distillery. Truman had a ton of passion for distilling and aging some great whiskey and that really shows in the Bowman Brothers, John J Bowman, and Abraham Bowman products. The John J. is my current favorite and my frontrunner for new bourbon of the year at The BTS. John J. Bowman is triple distilled. The first 2 distillations take place at Buffalo Trace while the last distillation takes place at the A. Smith Bowman facility. This bourbon is then aged 12-14 years (based on my experiences w/ the regular product and some private bottlings) standing straight up at the Bowman facility and bottled at 100 proof. This is a phenomenal bourbon whiskey. Fragrant nose, tasting hints of toffee, chocolate, fig, and hints of vanilla. Delicious!

The A. Smith Bowman Distillery aging warehouse

This is a rare find here in South Florida but do some digging and you may be able to source some for yourself of your best bourbon buddy. That or take a quick flight to DC and make the drive about an hour or so South to the A. Smith Bowman Distillery and pick up a bottle for yourself!!

Monday, December 17, 2012

So now for Bourbon Christmas you've got a little piece of bourbon history to read, some great juice, and a nice glass to sip it in. But what if you want to sip your bourbon on the rocks? On Day 4 of the 10 Days of Bourbon Christmas, we'll address the topic of ice in a premium way. Yup, we're blowing the bourbon budget with Day 4's recommendation. This
is the one you get for the bourbon lover who really appreciates his
spirit and who takes care of you with bourbon recommendations, tastings,
knowledge tidbits, bottle finds, bottle deals, etc. (I hope you're picking up the hints I'm dropping...)

MackDaddy of Ice - The Cirrus Ice Ball Press

When it comes to drinking bourbon, I always recommend trying it neat first, with no water or ice added in. This allows you to get the full flavor of the whiskey as intended by the Master Distiller who gave it life. But sometimes you'll want to add a little ice. Adding ice will cool and dilute your bourbon, bringing it down in proof. For many, this makes drinking bourbon a bit more palatable. Be wary though - traditional ice cubes tend to melt rather quickly and too much can lead to drinking a glass of water with bourbon essence. That's a buzzkill. This is where having the Cirrus Ice Ball Press is a major advantage.

You see, ice as a sphere melts slower than ice as a cube. Why? Simple science. A sphere made of ice has less surface area in contact with the liquid in the glass than a traditional cube while allowing for the most possible volume. This allows for a slow, somewhat controlled dilution of your bourbon without watering it down. A little bit of dilution will open up the bourbon you're drinking and expose more flavors that may have been hidden behind the higher concentration of alcohol.

Goodness, gracious, great balls of...ice?

Not only does the Cirrus Ice Ball Press help you to cool your drink, it does so in a badass way. Makes a great impression on guests of your bar wherever that may be. Check it out in action!

Ok, so it's not the most budget-friendly gift but it sure as hell is pretty cool. Don't worry if this is not in your price range for Bourbon Christmas. I'll have a few more ice-related gift ideas for Bourbon Christmas that will produce great results and fit any budget. Stay tuned!